


Free Fallin'

by IsraelKami



Series: Nightclub AU [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Ace Linhardt, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Nightclub, Casphardt - Freeform, Character Study, Deal With It, Everyone's gay, Gen, Linhardt Needs A Hug, M/M, Minor Balthuri, No Spoilers for Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Romantic Comedy, Some of These Characters Are Just Mentioned, Songfic, To no one's surprise, YES BETA WE LIVE UNLIKE GLENN, acheron is a dick, caspar is short change my mind, demi caspar, lazy roommates, with a splash of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24708013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsraelKami/pseuds/IsraelKami
Summary: Linhardt von Hevring should have known better than to agree to a night on the town at the prestigious Abyss Nightclub. Noisy bars, creepy men, and dressing up really isn't his style. Although... every cloud has it's silver lining.
Relationships: Balthazar von Adalbrecht | Balthus von Albrecht/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc, Caspar von Bergliez/Linhardt von Hevring
Series: Nightclub AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1824529
Comments: 3
Kudos: 31





	Free Fallin'

**Author's Note:**

> Second piece written for FE: 3H Song Week (even though it's been four months shhhh)
> 
> Free Fallin', by Tom Petty off of his Full Moon Fever album.
> 
> Thanks to Jess and Sun for yelling at me to write some more <3

In hindsight, Linhardt should have known better than to agree to a night out on the town. Bars weren’t his element. Bars were loud and he was quiet. They were full of energy, and he… he was well known at Garreg Mach University for falling asleep in all of his classes, in an attempt to capture even just a few more seconds of precious rest. That didn’t stop his roommate, Hilda Valentin Goneril, from dragging him out at least once a month, much to his disdain.

“Pay attention Linnie!” She stood in front of Linhardt in their living room, demanding his attention with a teasing look in her eyes. “I didn’t score an invite into the prestigious Abyss Nightclub, just for you to look miserable all night.”

“That’s because you didn’t.” Linhardt felt a smirk creep onto his face. “I seem to remember that a certain older brother of yours got us in.”

“Linhardt von Hevring!” She fake-gasped. “How dare you insinuate that I use my relationships with others to get what I want!”

“Sure, sure, like I haven’t heard that one before.”

“Go get changed out of your pedestrian clothes before we leave, or else I’ll have to come in there and dress you up myself!”

“Message received loud and clear, General Goneril!” Linhardt half-heartedly saluted and made a hasty retreat from the living room.

Much to Linhardt’s chagrin, Hilda still managed to sneak into his room and convince him to wear a shining, silver and gold hairpin that she had made him for his last birthday.

“Ooooh, Linhardt, we’re gonna get you laid tonight!” She giggled as she opened the door to their apartment. “The boys will be all over your silky green hair, and your dashingly ambivalent smile.”

“Hilda, you know that’s as likely to happen, as you actually doing the dishes, right?” Linhardt adjusted the charm and stepped outside into the hallway.

“Just for that, I’m driving us.” Hilda grabbed her keys off of the countertop.

“If you crash your car…”

"Now, when have I ever done that?!”

“A week ago today, actually.” He raised an eyebrow.

“We don’t have time for your logic! We’re gonna be later than usual if we don’t leave!”

Linhardt let himself be dragged along by his friend to the parking garage next to their apartment building.

“Oh, there it is! It’s the Abyss Nightclub!” Hilda grabbed Linhardt’s arm and began to pull him towards the nondescript looking building.

“Really? That’s it?” He stared quizzically at the dull gray front. “I would’ve thought there would be flashing lights, disco balls, and a little more color.”

Hilda scoffed at him. “Don’t be silly! If you had listened to me in the car instead of taking a nap, you would’ve known that the Abyss is really popular in the city government because it’s so nondescript. Now, come on! Baltie’s waiting for us!”

“Wait a sec, who’s Baltie?” Linhardt stumbled forward as Hilda dragged him towards the front entrance.

“Hilda! I thought I told you to stop calling me that!” A loud baritone voice broke the otherwise silent air as the door to the Abyss Nightclub opened. Linhardt broke free from Hilda and looked up to see an incredibly tall black haired man wearing a half open white button down step onto the dimly lit walkway.

“Baltie! It’s so good to see you!” Hilda squealed and rushed up to the tall man who threw an arm around her in a hug. “It’s been so long! Even Holst said that he hadn’t seen you in a while.”

Watching the significantly shorter and smaller Hilda scold the clearly fit man brought a smile to Linhardt’s face. “Hilda, maybe we should take this inside, so you can introduce me to ‘Baltie.’”

“Oh Sothis, not you too.” ‘Baltie’ groaned and opened the door for Hilda and Linhardt to enter. “Great idea though. I’m not wearing near enough clothes for this.” He chuckled and ushered the two inside.

“Welcome,” ‘Baltie’ declared, “to the Abyss Nightclub, open from 8:00pm to 3:00am. Minors are allowed, but will need to be checked in by one of the bouncers and given a special mark on their hand to let our servers know.”

“Wow, do you tell everyone all of that?” A thin purple haired man greeted the three of them at the door. “You must be Holst’s little sister and her friend.” He reached for Hilda’s hand and kissed the back of it lightly before bowing to Linhardt. “I am Yuri Leclerc, owner of this fine establishment. I see that you’ve already met Balthus.”

“That’s right. Balthus von Albrecht at your service. I’m the head of security here.” Balthus flexed his arms at the two of them. “I take my job very seriously, so if you run into any creeps, talk to me or one of my people in the suits and we’ll get them outta here.”

“Did you just flex on us?” Hilda gagged.

“That kind of flexing is reserved for me, at our home, preferably with more clothes off.” Yuri lightly sighed. “Go get changed and get out there. I don’t want any funny business happening with just Raphael and Caspar on the floor.”

“Sir yes sir!” Balthus winked at Yuri and turned around, before vanishing into one of the side doors marked for employees only.

“Brat,” Yuri muttered under his breath. “Anyway, let’s get you two checked in. Ms. Goneril, you get the star, because you’re one of the prettiest objects in the night sky.”

“And because I’m old enough to drink.” She smiled at Linhardt sweetly.

“As for you, Mr. von Hevring, you get a check.”

“Nothing special for me? No flirty compliment?”

"Why, Mr. von Hevring, that would be quite inappropriate!” Yuri smirked and opened the door to the main dance floor. “You two have a good night, and if you need anything, find one of our boys.”

The interior of the main dance floor looked nothing like the entryway or the exterior of the building. Purple, red, and blue neon lights hang from the ceiling, intermittently flashing in combination with their duller variations on the floor. A light fog seemed to cover the floor, while spotlights on the walls turned off and on with the music. On the far side of the dance floor, a massive bar was set up against the wall, where a blonde haired girl and a redhead were hard at work mixing and shaking drinks.

Linhardt could already tell that he wasn’t going to last long in the club. The music (was that Lady Gaga?) was near deafening, and the bass thudded through his body like a heartbeat that wouldn’t slow down. The lights flashed exactly when he looked up to watch them, temporarily blinding him. And, of course, his least favorite part of clubs and bars.

People.

Already, there was a mass of people gathering in the middle of the dance floor, bumping and grinding to whatever music was playing over the sound system. Even the edges of the room, where Linhardt preferred to spend his time in any social gathering, were already crowded. Groups of people lined the walls, chatting each other up or simply enjoying each other’s company.

Linhardt was already over it. The noise, the lights, the people. “Hilda, remind me to never agree to go clubbing with you ever again.”

“Oh, Linnie, I know it’s overwhelming at first, but you’ll get used to it!” Hilda gave him a quick hug, feeling the tension in his body. “Here, let’s get some drinks, and sit on the stools in front of the bar for a bit, okay?” She grabbed his hand and began to work her way through the crowded room.

“Here we go. Remember to breathe and focus on me.” Hilda sat Linhardt down on the red and blue stool before sitting down next to him.

“Hi cuties! What can I get for you?” The blonde haired girl beamed at the two of them. “One of you is limited to non-alcoholic drinks, but I’m sure we can come up with something that you’ll like either way. My name is Constance, and I run the bar with Hapi here.” The brunette waved at the two before taking an order from another person at the bar.

“Aww, thanks Constance! I’m gonna have an espresso martini if you’ve got fresh espresso on hand.” Hilda smiled back at her before turning to Linhardt. “What about you Lin?”

“I think I’ll have an Arnold Palmer for now.” Linhardt focused on Constance’s face as she leaned in to hear his order.

“Okay, coming right up! Your tab tonight is being covered by Mr. Leclerc, so don’t worry about paying.” Constance began to work on the two drinks. “And Mr. von Hevring, if you start to feel a little overwhelmed, we do have quiet rooms on the left and right walls that you are more than welcome to use.” She glanced at his shoulders. “Just remember. Raphael and Caspar will stop any of the older creeps from hitting on you.”

“Thanks Constance. I needed to hear that.” Linhardt smiled softly.

“That’s what I, Constance von Nuvelle, do at the Abyss Nightclub!” She threw one of the glasses in her hand into the air and caught it with her other hand, pouring the syrup into the cup before giving it a stir and handing it to Linhardt. “One Arnold Palmer for you, and Ms. Goneril, your espresso martini will be ready in just a minute.”

“Wow, that was really impressive.”

"Linhardt! Was that a compliment? From you?!” Hilda gasped and threw her hand up. “I can’t believe it! Constance, you got a compliment from Linhardt!”

“Will you stop that? You’re drawing attention to us!” he hissed at Hilda, which did nothing to curb her enthusiasm.

“Oh, Linhardt, I had no idea that you were throwing compliments around tonight.” She giggled, before glancing out into the crowd.

“I know what you’re thinking, and if you do it, I’m never talking to you ever again.” Linhardt poked her in the side.

“I would never do such a thing!”

He rolled his eyes before turning his attention to the bar in a desperate attention to distract Hilda. “How did this place get started? I’ve lived here my whole life, and until Hilda and I became friends, I’d never heard of it.”

“I can answer that question.” The redhead, Hapi, finished making a drink for another customer. “Yuribird’s owned and run the Abyss for about five or six years now.” She shrugged. “Originally, the building was a series of offices that belonged to some old corporation that went bankrupt. I think it was called Agartha Inc.”

“Did Mr. Leclerc buy the building from the Agarthans?” Hilda asked, reaching for her espresso martini that Constance placed on the bar.

“Yup.” Hapi ducked underneath the bar and a harsh screeching noise came from the general area. “Sorry ‘bout that. The drawers are getting oiled tomorrow.” She straightened up and showed Linhardt and Hilda a picture.

“This here is Yuribird and B at the signing for the building.” Hapi pointed at the two younger looking men in suits. “These two next to them are the regional director of Agartha Inc., Volkhard von Arundel, and the mayor of the city, Rhea Seiros.” The picture was faded, but Linhardt easily recognized the green haired and majestically dressed mayor of Fódlan.

“They don’t look particularly pleased to be next to each other,” he murmured, allowing himself to relax slightly.

"That’s an understatement,” Hapi scoffed and reached to put the picture away. “Volkhard and Rhea have hated each other for ages. She’s been trying to get him out of the city ever since she started her terms.”

“Clearly Volkhard didn’t want to leave the city for some reason.” Hilda stirred her espresso with a finger. “How did Mr. Leclerc come up with the funds to purchase the building anyways?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about that.” Hapi placed a hand on Hilda’s and winked. “Let’s just say that the building had a little pest problem, and Yuribird’s services were requested.”

"So the mayor tanked the real estate value of the property until Mr. Leclerc was able to purchase the building and run Volkhard out.” Linhardt took a sip of his drink. “I’m impressed.”

Hilda raised an eyebrow at him.

“Not a word out of you.”

She burst into a fit of giggles, spinning around on the stool before stopping suddenly.

“Wait, is that Dorothea?!” She gasped and pointed out onto the dance floor. “OhmySeiros, Linhardt, I’ll be right back, I promise!”

Before he even had the chance to protest, Hilda had grabbed her drink, planted a quick kiss on his cheek, and sped off into the dance floor, launching herself into a brown haired woman surrounded by a crowd of men. Linhardt rubbed his forehead as the sound of Hilda’s squeals carried over the music.

“I’m sorry about her,” he whispered to the two bartenders.

“Oh, she’s just excited.” Constance threw her head back and laughed. “You’ll be okay by yourself, right Mr. von Hevring? Hapi and I have got to fill some of these orders, else Mr. Leclerc will have our heads.”

Linhardt waved them off and turned around on the bar stool himself, content to watch the crowd dance the night away. He could see Hilda dancing enthusiastically with the brown haired girl that she had so enthusiastically hugged, and he noticed that there were more than a few of his classmates out on the dance floor.

He spotted the purple haired girl from his 8am abnormal psychology course dancing near Hilda and… Dorothea, was it? He wasn’t good with names. In the farthest corner of the bar, he saw his old RA from freshman year, a Duscur man named Dedue, chatting up the quiet gray haired kid from 2pm biology.

He thought he saw a head of blue hair on the closer wall, but his view was blocked by the constantly bickering pair of Ferdinand von Aegir and Hubert von Vestra, his roommates from freshman year. He lazily waved to the two, but the pair’s bickering distracted them, and by the time they had moved on, Linhardt had lost sight of the blue haired person. He reached into his pocket to check the time instead. 

“Only 11? Hilda owes me big time for this one.” He let out a massive yawn and rubbed his eyes and tried to stretch his back out before he hit the back of the bar.

“You seem to be pretty tired there. Would a drink pep you up?”

Linhardt’s eyes snapped open and he tried to stand up, before he remembered that he was supposed to be sitting on a stool, and not on the probably very dirty ground of an unconventional nightclub.

“Up here, cutie pie.”

Linhardt glanced up, trying to rub the sleep out of his eyes to acknowledge the man that woke him up.

“Here, let me give you a hand.” The man reached out his hand, and Linhardt took it, letting himself be pulled up and placed back on the stool. “You seem a little young to be here on your lonesome, cutie pie.”

“I’m not a child.” Linhardt opened his eyes again to get a better look at the man.

“Oh, he bites!” The man shook his head, causing his golden curls to bounce dramatically off of his shoulders. He placed a hand on Linhardt’s shoulder. “Here, let me buy you something to help wake you up.” The man placed his other hand on the bar and smiled at Constance and Hapi. “Let’s get an espresso martini for this strapping young gentleman, and a-”

"I’m afraid that your friend there isn’t allowed alcoholic drinks at the Abyss Nightclub.” Hapi interrupted the man’s sentence, disdain clear in her voice. “Besides, I doubt that he even knows your name, considering that you just woke him up.”

“Oh, right! My sincerest apologies. I got carried away with myself again I fear.” The man turned to Linhardt and smiled sheepishly. “My name is Acheron, of the Leicester Alliance. I’m traveling nearby and decided to stop by the Abyss to see if I could meet a cute guy and have a good time.”

Linhardt raised an eyebrow at Acheron and shook his head. “You’ve met one.” He reached up to Acheron’s hand still on his shoulder and removed it. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to find my friend so we can leave.” He stood up and made to step onto the dance floor, already looking for Hilda’s outrageously pink hair.

“Hey, wait a second! Give me a chance here!” Acheron grabbed Linhardt’s shoulder and turned him back around. “I just met you. Are you sure you don’t want to head back to my hotel room?”

“I’m perfectly happy to never engage in hookups or sex.” Linhardt stared Acheron in the eyes. “I do not care how impressive you think you are. Let go of me.” His hands began to shake as Acheron tried to pull him closer.

“Listen, just give me a chance, okay? Let’s have a drink together. We don’t have to do anything, okay?” Acheron tried to plaster on a smile, but the smile quickly turned into a scowl. “Come on cutie pie, you know I didn’t mean anything by what I said.”

“I said, let go of me.” Linhardt snapped out of the last pieces of sleep that were holding him in, quickly recognizing the situation that he was in.

“Hey, punk! Get your hands off of him.” Another body entered Linhardt’s vision from the side, pressed up against him. “You good dude?”

The new person was shorter than Linhardt, but he still filled up the space with his presence. His electric blue hair stood out in the otherwise dark nightclub. He flashed Linhardt a blinding grin, and Linhardt could feel the tension slowly start to seep out of his shoulders.

“Definitely not good.”

“I wasn’t touching him, I swear! We were just getting ready to head back to my hotel room for the night and-”

“Cut the crap, punk.” The man pressed up against Linhardt’s side and rolled his eyes. “Leave the kid alone, or I’ll make ya.” He pulled a baton out of seemingly nowhere.

“Got it, mister security guard. I’ll see myself out, actually.” Acheron’s face paled drastically and he let go of Linhardt’s hand before turning around and running face first into Balthus’s chest.

“Actually, I’ll be escorting you out. This is your third warning, Acheron, and you’ll be punished for it” Balthus grabbed ahold of Acheron’s shoulders and began marching him through the dance floor to the door to the outside world. “Caspar, you take care of our friend here.”

“Yes, sir!” Caspar saluted and turned to Linhardt. “Hey,” he waved his hand in front of Linhardt’s face, “you in there? My name’s Caspar. It’s my job to keep you safe.” He gently placed a hand on Linhardt’s shoulder.

“I’m going to have a panic attack,” Linhardt muttered, looking Caspar straight in the eyes.

“Hey Linhardt? How are you feeling buddy?” Caspar sat on the ground next to Linhardt in the soundproof quiet room that Caspar had led him towards.

Linhardt felt pretty pathetic at that moment. He was covered by a surprisingly soft blanket, tucked in on both sides in order to best trap his body heat. A small cup full of water sat on the other side of him, and he was currently eating a packet of crackers, similar to what his father used to get when he was younger and got sick.

“I’ve felt better.” Linhardt stifled a yawn and allowed himself to shift and stretch a small amount. “Thank you, by the way, for coming to my rescue.” He glanced at Caspar, smiling briefly. “I’m not exactly sure what was happening there. I just knew that I didn’t want any part of it.”

“Of course, Linhardt.” Caspar grinned and stole a cracker from the package. “Not only is it my job, but that sort of stuff is totally uncool. Even if this wasn’t my job, I would’ve said something.” He bit into the cracker and began chewing.

“He could’ve hurt you, y’know.”

“So? He was hurting you. That’s not cool.” Caspar furrowed his brow. “People like that get me so mad, that I just wanna scream!” He let out a small yell. “Just like that, but louder. Helps scare the bad guys off.”

Linhardt let the blue haired man continue to ramble about his passion for protecting people. Caspar’s enthusiasm was infectious, and Linhardt could feel a smile growing on his face. It didn’t hurt that he was very cute and clearly had a good heart on top of that.

“D’you mean that?” Caspar’s babble suddenly stopped, and he glanced at Linhardt with a blush on his face. 

“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

Caspar nodded, the blush getting stronger.

“Yes, I suppose so. You are very cute and you want to help people. That’s at least two positive characteristics.” Linhardt nodded, feeling a blush appear on his face as well.

“Well, uh, I think you’re pretty cute too, and uh,” Caspar stuttered over his words. “Wouldyoumaybewannagoonadatewithme?” He let out a big breath.

“I’m asexual. If you don’t want to go on a date knowing that, then I wouldn’t blame you.” Linhardt shrugged, feeling the butterflies in his stomach grow exponentially.

“I don’t really care all that much about sex and stuff like that.” Caspar shook his head vehemently. “It doesn’t really appeal to me at all and I just kinda wanna get to know the person, rather than the body if that makes sense.” He turned to look at Linhardt with a massive grin on his face. “Wait, does that mean you WILL go on a date with me?”

"That’s what I said, isn’t it? I would love to-”

The door to the dance floor burst open, revealing a clearly worried Hilda, and behind her, both Balthus and Yuri.

“There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” She pointed at Linhardt accusingly. “Have you been hiding from me in here?”

“Don’t be ridiculous Hilda. I know better than to hide from you at this point.” Linhardt sighed and began to stand up.

“Here, let me help you.” Caspar offered his arm, and Linhardt used it to pull himself up from his surprisingly comfortable spot on the floor.

“Oh? Who is this, Linnie?” Hilda grinned madly at Linhardt, who only scowled at her. “Did we interrupt something?”

“Hilda, this is Caspar. Caspar, this is Hilda Valentin Goneril, also known as my hyper social and incredibly lazy roommate.” Linhardt introduced the two of them. “And no, Hilda, you weren’t interrupting anything like that.”

“Uh… No, no you didn’t.” Caspar cleared his throat nervously, looking at his bosses standing behind Hilda. “I’m one of the security guards here, and I was taking care of Linhardt after the incident on the dance floor.”

“I guess that’s not as romantic as I thought it would be.” She seemed to physically deflate as he explained the situation.

“I hate to break up this heartwarming moment, but I believe that Mr. von Hevring would like to get home sooner rather than later,” Yuri reminded Hilda gently.

“Oh, right!” She grabbed Linhardt’s hand and pulled him to her. “Do you remember Dorothea? Sophomore musical theater major from the party at Claude’s apartment?”

“You mean the one that you spent all night next to?”

“That’s the one. Anyways, she’s offered to drive us back to the apartment since she’s sober and I’m not, and you’re probably too tired to drive!”

“That’s good. I wasn’t looking forward to driving home.”

“Linhardt!” Caspar called out to him before Hilda could drag him out the door of the quiet room.

“Oh, right! So sorry, I almost dragged you away from your ‘friend’!” Hilda giggled, shoving Linhardt towards Caspar.

"Do you still wanna go on that date?” Caspar asked, fidgeting with his hands.

“Yes, I do.”

“Hell yeah!”

“Caspar!” 


End file.
